Axl Rose

Axl Rose
Rose in 2023
Background information
Birth nameWilliam Bruce Rose Jr.
Also known as
  • W. Axl Rose
  • William Bruce Bailey
  • Bill Bailey
Born (1962-02-06) February 6, 1962
Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
Years active1983–present
Member ofGuns N' Roses
Formerly of
Spouse
Erin Everly
​
​
(m. 1990; ann. 1991)​
Websiteaxlrose.com
Signature

W. Axl Rose (/ˈæksəl/ AK-səl; born William Bruce Rose Jr., February 6, 1962)[3] is an American singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses. He has been the band's only constant member since its formation in 1985.[4] Renowned for his wide-ranging, powerful voice,[5] Rose has been ranked among the greatest singers of all time by outlets such as Rolling Stone, NME and Billboard.[6][7][8]

Born in Lafayette, Indiana, Rose moved to Los Angeles in the early 1980s, joining bands like Hollywood Rose and L.A. Guns before co-founding Guns N' Roses. The band's debut album, Appetite for Destruction (1987), sold over 30 million copies worldwide[9][10] and remains the best-selling U.S. debut. Rose's relationships with Erin Everly and Stephanie Seymour inspired multiple songs, including the chart-topping "Sweet Child o' Mine", though allegations of abuse,[11] and controversial lyrics on the band's next release G N' R Lies (1988) drew criticism.[12]

The twin albums Use Your Illusion I and II (1991), debuted at No. 2 and No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 35 million copies combined.[13] Rose's volatile behavior during the Use Your Illusion Tour, with riots (including his arrest for inciting the Riverport Riot), media rants, and feuds with Metallica and Nirvana, fueled further controversy.[14][15][16] The follow-up, "The Spaghetti Incident?" (1993), was less successful and drew backlash for including a Charles Manson cover.

After the tour, Rose disappeared from the public eye while Guns N' Roses stalled on making a new album. Rose reemerged in 2001 with a new version of Guns N' Roses, eventually releasing Chinese Democracy (2008), the most expensive rock album ever produced.[17] Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, Rose declined to attend. In 2016, he reconciled with Slash and Duff McKagan for the record-breaking Not in This Lifetime... Tour, and also toured with AC/DC as a fill-in vocalist for two dozen shows. The band continued touring and releasing singles into the 2020s.

  1. ^ Slash; Bozza, Anthony (October 30, 2007). Slash. HarperCollins. pp. 110–111. ISBN 978-0-06-135142-6.
  2. ^ Adler, Steven; Lawrence J. Apopei (July 27, 2010). My Appetite for Destruction: Sex, and Drugs, and Guns N' Roses. HarperCollins. pp. 94–95. ISBN 978-0-06-191711-0.
  3. ^ "Monitor". Entertainment Weekly. No. 1245. February 8, 2013. p. 22.
  4. ^ "Guns 'N' Roses Are Officially Coming To Singapore: Super Epic Reactions From The Internet". Popspoken. October 13, 2016. Archived from the original on April 12, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  5. ^ Grow, Kory (May 28, 2014). "Axl Rose Picks His Favorite Singers". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 19, 2017.
  6. ^ Lethem, Jonathan (November 27, 2008). "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  7. ^ "Michael Jackson tops NME's Greatest Singers poll". NME. June 21, 2011. Archived from the original on June 27, 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  8. ^ Unterberger, Katie Atkinson, Katie Bain, Eric Renner Brown, Kyle Denis, Frank DiGiacomo, Thom Duffy, Ingrid Fajardo, Paul Grein, Lyndsey Havens, Jason Lipshutz, Joe Lynch, Taylor Mims, Melinda Newman, Isabela Raygoza, Andrew; Atkinson, Katie; Bain, Katie; Brown, Eric Renner; Denis, Kyle; DiGiacomo, Frank; Duffy, Thom; Fajardo, Ingrid; Grein, Paul (August 16, 2023). "The 50 Greatest Rock Lead Singers of All Time". Billboard. Retrieved August 18, 2023.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Smith, Sara (November 18, 2012). "'American Masters' highlights David Geffen's influence but only hints at a dark side". The Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  10. ^ Havelock, Laurie (August 9, 2012). "Column - Still hungry? 25 years of Guns N' Roses' Appetite for Destruction". Q. Archived from the original on March 11, 2014. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  11. ^ "Bye Bye Love". Peoplemag.
  12. ^ "Guns N' Roses wrote the most offensive song in popular music". faroutmagazine.co.uk. June 24, 2023.
  13. ^ "Which albums had the highest number of worldwide sales?". TSORT. December 15, 2007. Archived from the original on March 27, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
  14. ^ "Understanding Axl Rose's feud with Metallica - Far Out Magazine". faroutmagazine.co.uk. October 26, 2022.
  15. ^ Irwin, Corey (May 18, 2022). "Rock Feuds: Axl Rose vs. Kurt Cobain". Ultimate Classic Rock.
  16. ^ "Few Tours Had More Controversy Than The GNR Use Your Illusion Tour". 939X Indy's Rock Station - WNDX-FM. June 21, 2021.
  17. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Guns N' Roses Biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 20, 2011. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
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